There are 10 Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The 10 IFCA Districts cover English coastal waters out to 6 nautical miles from Territorial Baselines. Although autonomous the 10 IFCAs have a shared 'vision' to "lead, champion and manage a sustainable marine environment and inshore fisheries, by successfully securing the right balance between social, environmental and economic benefits to ensure healthy seas, sustainable fisheries and a viable industry". The IFCAs have shared powers and duties which are found in the Marine and Coastal Access Act, 2009. The 10 IFCAs are: * Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Northwestern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority * Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority The membership of IFCA committees is made up of 'general members' appointed by the Marine Management Organisation for their skills and experience relevant to the management of inshore fisheries. The general members are joined by local authority appointed members, appointed by the constituent authorities which fund the IFCAs. On each IFCA a member is also appointed from

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

, the

Marine Management Organisation The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is an executive non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom established under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, with responsibility for English waters. The MMO exists to make a significant cont ...

and the Environment Agency. Under s.153 of the

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (c 23) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates "a new system of marine management". The Marine Management Organisation Section 1(1) creates the Marine Management Organisation. Secti ...

(1) The authority for an IFC district must manage the exploitation of sea fisheries resources in that district. (2) In performing its duty under subsection (1), the authority for an IFC district must: (a) seek to ensure that the exploitation of sea fisheries resources is carried out in a sustainable way, (b) seek to balance the social and economic benefits of exploiting the sea fisheries resources of the district with the need to protect the marine environment from, or to promote it recovery from, the effects of such exploitation, (c) take any other steps which in the authority's opinion are necessary or expedient for the purpose of making a contribution to the achievement of sustainable development, and (d) seek to balance the different needs of persons engaged in the exploitation of sea fisheries resources in the district Under s. 154 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act, 2009 IFCA must further the conservation objectives of marine conservation zones. IFCAs are funded by

Local Authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

and this funding is, in part, underpinned by DEFRA via an Area Based Grant of c. £3 million annually. Since the IFCAs were created in 2011 they have been responsible for transforming the way fishing activities are undertaken in Marine Protected Areas as a consequence of the UK government's "revised approach to the management of commercial fishing in European Marine Sites" and have introduced 17

byelaws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authori ...

to protect the most vulnerable features within European Marine Sites. Southern IFCA has introduced measures which restrict Bottom Towed Fishing Gear from 25% of the IFCA District. IFCAs are also progressing measures to balance the needs of the commercial and recreational fisheries and examples of emerging plans are seen in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

and Severn IFCA. The 10 IFCAs each own and operate Fisheries Patrol Vessels, which range from the 27m coastal Patrol Vessel FPV Saint Piran operated by Cornwall IFCA to smaller rigid inflatable vessels. The IFCAs also operate

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicate ...

s, deploying

side scan sonar Side-scan sonar (also sometimes called side scan sonar, sidescan sonar, side imaging sonar, side-imaging sonar and bottom classification sonar) is a category of sonar system that is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the se ...

and

underwater camera Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater veh ...

s to inform their management. Every four years a report on the conduct and operations if IFCAs is presented to the UK parliament. The report 2014 to 2018 found that IFCAs "have demonstrated the local leadership that is expected of them as statutory regulators" and that "future funding, compounded by increasing responsibilities, also emerges as a significant factor in the effective delivery of the IFCAs' statutory duties".report
/ref> The IFCAs are represented nationally by an Association, The Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities.

References

{{Reflist 2011 establishments in England Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Fisheries agencies Fisheries conservation organizations Fishing in England Government agencies established in 2011